Moscow Citizens Banned From Sharing Photos of Drone Strikes as Attacks Increase Inside Russia

The top of a large silo is sent flying hundreds of feet into the air during an attack on the Moscow Refinery last week.

Last month, authorities in Moscow banned the city’s population from sharing photos and videos of what it calls “terrorist attacks.” But that’s being tested after Ukrainian drones blew up part of the city’s oil refinery last week.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports that Russian media is also urging citizens not to film the dramatic bombings, or even talk about them. Last Thursday, a dramatic video showing an enormous silo from Moscow’s oil refinery in the southeastern Kapotnya district being blown high into the air went viral across the world. But it was barely mentioned by Russian news media.

“They deliberately did not show videos of the strike, did not report from the scene, and merely read out City Hall press releases,” says correspondent Andrey Cherkasov. “Eyewitness videos are often the only way Russians can learn about what’s really happening around them.”

But as the BBC reports, Ukrainian drones are increasingly getting through Russia’s defenses, bringing the so-called “special operation” to the doorstep of ordinary Russians. The fire at the refinery caused huge plumes of smoke that were visible to Muscovites across the city.

Pro-Kremlin media responded by insinuating that, however bad the oil refinery hit was, Russian strikes in Ukraine are far worse and cause far more damage.

“You should look for more footage coming out of various cities in Ukraine,” President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov tells Russian media. “Footage showing the results of strikes carried out by our armed forces is impressive. These strikes will continue.”

Analysts believe that Ukrainian drones will continue hitting targets deep in Russia, making such incidents harder to conceal. The law enacted last month by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin imposes potential fines of up to $700 for people found to publish photos of attacks. That includes the media and emergency services. Other regions of Russia are under similar bans.

“So far, neither threats nor appeals to civic responsibility seem to be working on the Russian public,” adds Cherkasov. “Videos and photographs continue to appear after every major Ukrainian strike.”

The ban is reminiscent of Dubai, which earlier this year ordered influencers living in the Gulf city to delete posts containing images of strikes by Iran. Dozens of British citizens were detained in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for taking photos that could “disturb public security.”

Last year, PetaPixel reported on two Russian influencers who were arrested for filming a selfie video in front of a burning oil depot that had been hit by Ukrainian drones.

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